Summer in Quebec City boasts of free Cirque du Soleil shows and more

By Marc Schwarz

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

Cirque du Soleil performs at venues of all types and sizes across the globe – from arenas to cruise ships and from North America to the Middle East.

Cirque du Soleil got its big break in 1984, when the troupe toured Quebec to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Canada. Now world-renowned, the company is celebrating its 25th year with five summers of free outdoor performances in Quebec City.

I saw Cirque in perhaps its most unusual setting and definitely at the best price: Under a highway overpass and free.

Crowds cheer for a group of juggling and unicycling street performers in Quebec City, where there is a variety of free summer events.

It's just one of Quebec City's many attractions that won't cost a dime or even a Canadian nickel.

*

Before Cirque du Soleil became a multibillion-dollar success story with shows in more than 270 cities around the world, it was a small theater troupe whose stars walked on stilts, juggled, danced, breathed fire and played music in Bair-Saint-Paul, a city northeast of Quebec City.

In 1984, the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada, the troupe, which had been struggling financially, secured a tour of the province as part of Quebec's celebrations.

The success of "Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil" helped transform the troupe into what it likes to call a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment."

Twenty-five years later, as a way to thank the city that helped launch an empire, Cirque du Soleil created "Les Chemins Invisibles (Invisible Paths)," a five-chapter story that would unfold one chapter at a time over five summers, beginning in 2009.

*

I'd never seen a Cirque show before, but we knew we couldn't pass up this opportunity, especially considering the price and location. Following dinner, we walked along the waterfront outside the walls of the Old Town and headed to the Dufferin highway overpass for that night's performance of "Les Chemins Invisibles."

Heading down rue Saint Paul, we soon began to see others casually strolling in the same direction. With the sun beginning to set and the gates opening 30 minutes prior to showtime, there was no rush, no jostling.

As the hundreds of people gathered outside the gates, the crowd was not only well-behaved, it was practically self-organized. There was none of the pushing or personal-space invading that – face it – you might encounter at a similar event in New Jersey or New York.

As we patiently stood on line, a look at the crowd showed a mix of young and old, tourists and Quebecois, primarily French-speaking, though you could hear other languages, including English.

There is reserved seating available for a fee, but why pay when you can stand with everyone else and inch your way toward the stage? The main stage, which has an industrial feel, features a corrugated metal backdrop with scaffolding in the middle. The band and a small performance area are both situated to the right, facing the stage. A runway extends into the crowd from the middle of the stage.

Wires, lights and trapeze equipment have been rigged securely to the underside of the highway bridge. As the sky darkens, the music begins, and we make our way to the left side of the runway, around 25 to 30 feet from the stage.

*

At the same time as "Les Chemins Invisible" was set to begin, crowds were starting to gather for Quebec City's other big, free summertime outdoor spectacle.

The Image Mill is a sound-and-light show that was created for the city's 400th anniversary. Created by installation artist/director Robert Le Page, the 50-minute multimedia display takes the audience through 400 years of history by projecting images on side-by-side grain silos that together make up the world's largest screen: It's 10 stories high and more than five football fields long.

The retrospective tells the city's history in four parts: waterways (recounting the days of Quebec's discovery and exploration), roads (when the land was cleared, then developed), rail expansion (industrialization and railway construction) and air travel (from hot air balloons to airplanes).

Since both Cirque and the Image Mill are dark on most Sunday and Monday nights, we had to choose which to see on Tuesday, our last night in town. (If you're in Quebec at the end of June or in July, Image Mill doesn't start until 10 p.m., so you have a fighting chance of catching the end of Image Mill, if you make a quick exit after Cirque.)

*

Ostensibly, "Les Chemins Invisibles" tells a story. The five chapters tell the tale of three tribes from separate cultures that meet to share one another's experiences. Chapter 3, which unfolded last summer, was titled "Le Royaume de Tôle (Kingdom of Tin)." The plot featured the Emperor beckoning the newly formed community of the three tribes to take part in an "out-of-the-ordinary urban cabaret." This summer, "The Pixel Frontier" will "take the public on a voyage into the heart of a [child's] imaginary world."

The dialogue is sparse and all in French, so the story line may be lost in translation. However, if you've ever seen a Cirque show, you know it isn't about character development or subtext. Cirque is about amazing audiences with the physical – seemingly impossible – acrobatic feats of the performers.

The lulls in the action could be counted in seconds, usually those when one act left and the next entered. The 60 minutes were a mesmerizing display that would have had us on our feet – if we weren't standing already.

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Cirque du Soleil doesn't have a monopoly on free street performances.

At the heart of the Old City of Quebec is Terrasse Dufferin, a wooden-planked terrace that features the Samuel de Champlain Monument, which honors the founder of the city. The statue also serves as the backdrop for a carnival-like atmosphere and a setting for a seemingly endless series of performers. Day or night, you'll probably find a crowd gathered around the entertainer of the moment, from jugglers to unicyclists to dancers to magicians.

If you tire of the performer of the moment, walk to the edge for a view of the St. Lawrence River and the surrounding areas, or turn to the city and take in the elegant and historic Chateau Frontenac, a hotel that opened in 1893. Terrasse Dufferin is also a great destination for people-watching and strolling. Cannons that once provided defense against attacks from the river are still spaced along the walkway.

To the left of the Champlain statue, if you're facing the river, are a series of 175 steps that lead from the Haute-Ville to Basse-Ville (the Old City's upper and lower towns). Descending the staircases and street, you'll pass restaurants, shops and bars. If you don't feel like walking back to the top, a funicular makes the trip easy and fun.

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The 45th annual Festival d'été de Québec (Quebec City Summer Festival) runs July 5 to 15. The headliners this year include Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and LMFAO. In addition to the myriad shows that charge for tickets, each day features free concerts in squares and other open places throughout the city.

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Other free attractions worth checking out:

* Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Québec (Notre-Dame Basilica) is part of the oldest Christian parish north of Mexico. Portions of the ornate sanctuary date to 1647, but most of the interior you'll see today is the result of reconstruction completed in 1771.

* Hotel du Parlement (The Parliament Building) is an imposing structure, as well as one of the few buildings in North America designed in Second Empire style. A tour of the building includes the National Assembly Chamber (where the members of provincial parliament sit) and the Legislative Council Chamber. Twenty-two bronze statues of some of the province's most prominent figures grace the facade.

* Battlefields Park, Quebec's equivalent to Manhattan's Central Park, was Canada's first national urban park. Combining the Plains of Abraham and Des Braves Park, the 267-acre area of grassy hills, sunken gardens, trees, fountains, monuments and walking trails is a gathering place for Quebecois and tourists. The Plains of Abraham was the site of a critical battle in 1759 between the British and French and was where the national anthem "O Canada" was first performed.

* This year marks the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Martello towers, which are small and distinctive-looking round forts with thick walls of solid masonry that made them resistant to cannon fire. Amazingly, many of the 196 towers built throughout the world still stand, including three in Quebec City.

Cirque du Soleil got its big break in 1984, when the troupe toured Quebec to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Canada. Now world-renowned, the company is celebrating its 25th year with five summers of free outdoor performances in Quebec City.

I saw Cirque in perhaps its most unusual setting and definitely at the best price: Under a highway overpass and free.

Crowds cheer for a group of juggling and unicycling street performers in Quebec City, where there is a variety of free summer events.

It's just one of Quebec City's many attractions that won't cost a dime or even a Canadian nickel.

*

Before Cirque du Soleil became a multibillion-dollar success story with shows in more than 270 cities around the world, it was a small theater troupe whose stars walked on stilts, juggled, danced, breathed fire and played music in Bair-Saint-Paul, a city northeast of Quebec City.

In 1984, the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada, the troupe, which had been struggling financially, secured a tour of the province as part of Quebec's celebrations.

The success of "Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil" helped transform the troupe into what it likes to call a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment."

Twenty-five years later, as a way to thank the city that helped launch an empire, Cirque du Soleil created "Les Chemins Invisibles (Invisible Paths)," a five-chapter story that would unfold one chapter at a time over five summers, beginning in 2009.

*

I'd never seen a Cirque show before, but we knew we couldn't pass up this opportunity, especially considering the price and location. Following dinner, we walked along the waterfront outside the walls of the Old Town and headed to the Dufferin highway overpass for that night's performance of "Les Chemins Invisibles."

Heading down rue Saint Paul, we soon began to see others casually strolling in the same direction. With the sun beginning to set and the gates opening 30 minutes prior to showtime, there was no rush, no jostling.

As the hundreds of people gathered outside the gates, the crowd was not only well-behaved, it was practically self-organized. There was none of the pushing or personal-space invading that – face it – you might encounter at a similar event in New Jersey or New York.

As we patiently stood on line, a look at the crowd showed a mix of young and old, tourists and Quebecois, primarily French-speaking, though you could hear other languages, including English.

There is reserved seating available for a fee, but why pay when you can stand with everyone else and inch your way toward the stage? The main stage, which has an industrial feel, features a corrugated metal backdrop with scaffolding in the middle. The band and a small performance area are both situated to the right, facing the stage. A runway extends into the crowd from the middle of the stage.

Wires, lights and trapeze equipment have been rigged securely to the underside of the highway bridge. As the sky darkens, the music begins, and we make our way to the left side of the runway, around 25 to 30 feet from the stage.

*

At the same time as "Les Chemins Invisible" was set to begin, crowds were starting to gather for Quebec City's other big, free summertime outdoor spectacle.

The Image Mill is a sound-and-light show that was created for the city's 400th anniversary. Created by installation artist/director Robert Le Page, the 50-minute multimedia display takes the audience through 400 years of history by projecting images on side-by-side grain silos that together make up the world's largest screen: It's 10 stories high and more than five football fields long.

The retrospective tells the city's history in four parts: waterways (recounting the days of Quebec's discovery and exploration), roads (when the land was cleared, then developed), rail expansion (industrialization and railway construction) and air travel (from hot air balloons to airplanes).

Since both Cirque and the Image Mill are dark on most Sunday and Monday nights, we had to choose which to see on Tuesday, our last night in town. (If you're in Quebec at the end of June or in July, Image Mill doesn't start until 10 p.m., so you have a fighting chance of catching the end of Image Mill, if you make a quick exit after Cirque.)

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